The Internet Has Finally Discovered The Man Who Inspired The Godfather Movies

The Real Vito

Vito Corleone was based on a man whose life in the mafia became the stuff of legend. Frank Costello, who—like Corleone—was born in Italy at the end of the 19th century, into a community rife with criminal gangs and revenge killings.

Image via Wikipedia

Like Corleone, Costello did not spend too much time in Italy. As seen in The Godfather: Part II, the young Vito Corleone—then called Vito Andolini—packs his bags and moves from Italy to seek a new life in America.